Electric sewing-machine



I). M. DURKEE.

ELECTR| C SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 31. I319.

Patented Feb. 1,1921.

Q1331 (Jr-f e;

. base.

UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

DWIGHT M. Lemme, or nocxronn, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO FREE SEWING mncfi coxrANY, or ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS, a CORPORATION or ILLINOIS.

. ELECTRIC SEWING-MACHINE.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DWIGHT M. DURKEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rockford, in the county of Winnebago and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The form of electric sewing machine to which my invention relates is sometimes provided with a stand or table, but more frequently is adapted to be placed upon a separate table for use. The starting and stopping and speed of the machine are controlled by a rheostat operated by a small pedal or foot lever attached thereto which, when in use, is located on the floor convenient to the machine operators foot and connected by suitable wiring with the motor of the machine. Commonly the control is shipped in a separate package from the machine, or is wrapped and placed inside the cover of the machine, and sometimes more or less insecurely tied to the machine arm. It is the purpose of my invention to provide means for securely holding the controller within the sewing machine cover, and from which it may be released without material loss of time or effort when it is to be put in use, the attaching means being so located and of such character as not to in terfere with the normal operation of the machine.

In the accompanying drawing is shown a perspective of the machine with its cover in place, the latter being partly broken away, however, to reveal the improved construction constituting my invention.

Except in the respect hereinafter pointed out the machine, base and cover may be of any usual or approved form in which the base 1 is as usual provided at the motor end thereof with a slide 2 for giving access to a compartment formed in the interior of the The latter is shown as of the type before mentioned intended to be supported on any level table or the like, but it will be obvious that the present invention is equally applicable to machines mounted on. stands.

' The slide is provided with a knob 3 at its outer end which, on its inner side at least,.

is undercut, though preferably the knob is symmetrical, as shown in the drawing. At the far side of the opening 4 to which the slide is applied the base is provided with Specification of Letters Patent.

a bracket 6 which, inthe particular form shown, is L-shaped and overhangs the openmg and the inner or far edge of the slide when the latter is in closed position, and the forward edge of the bracket is preferably notched as at 7 to receive the stem 8 of the controller. The latter in the form shown comprlses as commonly a rheostat 9 with connection pms 10, and connected by said stem with a base plate or disk 11 which, when the devlce is in use, rests upon the floor. As common in devices of this character the stem is surrounded by a spring 12 by which the movable element or cutout of the rheostat is normally maintained in its uppermost position, and the pedal or foot lever 13 1s also connected to the movable element or cutout for controlling the position of the latter 1n opposition to the spring, the forward end 14 of the pedal being adapted to also rest and fulcrum upon the floor. Preferably the forward edge of the pedal is slightly notched to receive the stem 15 of the knob 3. In placing the rheostat in posltion for shipment the slide 2 may be inserted in its guides but in partly open positlon, and the base 11 of the rheostat slipped under the overhanging bracket 6 with the stem of the rheostat in the notch of the bracket. This brings the forward edge of the foot pedal in position to be engaged by the knob as the slide is shoved home.

The base and cover are preferably formed with separable hinge members 16, and in the construction'shown the cover rests upon the upper surface of the base. The location of the knob 3 is such that when the cover is 1n place it engages the knob and prevents the outward movement of the slide so long as the cover is in shipping position. Obviously for the present purpose it is only essential that when the cover is in place it should so engage the slide or stem portion thereof as to prevent its outward movement, When the cover is removed the controller may be at once disengaged by a slight outward movement of the slide freeing the pedal and permitting the removal of the controller as a whole.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the class described, a base, a slide mounted thereon, cooperating means on the base and slide respectively for engaging a controller, and a cover for the machine engaging the slide when in posi- Patented Feb. 1, 1921. Application filed March 31, 1919. Serial No. 286,390. I I

tion and holding the latter against outward movement.

2. In a machine of the class described, a

- base, a horizontal slide engaging the base, a

knob on the slide and a bracket on the base for engaging and holding a controller for shipment, and a cover adapted when in place to engage the knob and prevent movement of the slide.

3. In a device of the class described, a 10 base, a slide mounted on the base, a knob on the slide, an overhanging bracket on the base, a controller adapted to be received between the knob and bracket when the slide is in closed position, and a cover adapted to engage the knob and prevent movement of the slide.

DWIGHT M. DURKEE. 

